Auckland, New Zealand

Not only is Askew One recognised globally for his ferocious, explosive graffiti aesthetic, he also displays an equally as daring and dramatic approach in the studio. His works demonstrate a curiosity about the boundaries of the art making process, the flexibility of his media, and the potential of the tools he uses to create his paintings. Yet, despite his expressive strokes and theatrical composition, there is a precious tension in his works that comes from tempering that ferocity with restraint – a skill reserved only for the most well-practised artists.

Askew One has over 20 years experience in self-taught graphic design, illustration, photography, publishing, directing and editing music videos and moving images. He has exhibited and appeared as a keynote speaker internationally.

Perth, Australia

Kyle Hughes-Odgers’ works both shout and whisper at once. Evoking elements of Takashi Murakami’s Superflat aesthetic, Hughes-Odgers harnesses his bold style to experiment masterfully with geometry, depth of field, balance, pattern and symmetry. The characters in his work possess an absurd sombreness that serves to quieten his compositions, which seem to sing – through his playful colour palette – visual melodies.

Hughes-Odgers is enormously accomplished, having exhibited internationally, completed major public art commissions at high-traffic sites including Perth International Airport and Murdoch University, featured in numerous publications and received the 2013 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Australia/New Zealand with Meg Mckinlay (author) for the children’s book Ten Tiny Things (Fremantle Press).

Sydney, Australia

Calling on references from virtually every major art movement of the twentieth century, twisting them through his own bold hand, and tossing them haphazardly onto canvases to create a melee of captivating chaos, Alex Lehours approaches his art making with a decidedly ‘more is more’ attitude. His CV is replete with big names including Stolichnya Vodka, Facebook, the National Gallery of Victoria, Converse, Very Nearly Almost Magazine, Stupid Krap and hip-hop outfit Thundamentals. Skilled in illustration, graphic design, typography and aerosol painting, Lehours has become an essential member of Australia’s stable of multi-disciplinary graphic artists.

Melbourne, Australia

Jess began stencilling in 2005 and has spent most of her time toiling over a table ever since. Under the pseudonym 23rd Key, she creates photo-realistic stencils, taking no short cuts and spending up to 6 months on any one piece. With a background in printmaking, graphic design and audio engineering, she utilises all aspects of these experiences, contributing greatly to her already photo-realistic style.

She hand-carves each delicate, perforated layer, and this attention to detail is the trademark that won her the Australian Stencil Art Prize in 2011. Working with only 9 layers or fewer on any one piece, she doesn’t give weight to the number of layers a stencil has, but the amount of detail cut into each individual layer. Breaking ground in her medium, she is one of the few stencil artists to incorporate 3D elements and free-hand embellishments into her works. 23rd Key excels in breaking the rules of the stencil medium and approaching it in a way none of her peers have before.

PUBLIC ART EXHIBITION

What

Volume 6 Artists Exhibition

Where

OPEN

Location

Darling Quarter

Dates

19 Sept – 19 Oct, 24/7

Free Public Event

Volume Six will return with its popular month long free public art exhibition in aMBUSH Gallery and Darling Quarter's outdoor popup exhibition space OPEN, located in the precinct's Civic Connector. The exhibition, which opens on Friday 19 September and continues 24/7 until Sunday 19 October, will feature sixteen original large-scale artworks created by the Project Five feature artists.

LIVE ART EVENTS

What

Live Art & Music Events

Where

Village Green South

Location

Darling Quarter

Dates

Fri 26, 6-9pm and Sat 27 & Sun 28 Sept, 12-4pm

Free Public Event

Featuring the work of celebrated contemporary Australian and New Zealand street artists Askew One, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Alex Lehours and 23rd Key, Project Five Volume Six will transform Darling Quarter's Village Green into a free open air studio as the artists paint before a live audience. The live painting weekend launches on Friday 26 September from 6-9pm and continues on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 from 12-3pm. The opening night is complimented by the electronic musical ambience created by Sydney-based artist EARS, with DJ Ray Ray behind the decks over the weekend.

KIDS' URBAN ART WORKSHOPS

What

Project Five and a Half

Where

Village Green North

Location

Darling Quarter

Dates

23, 24, 25, 30 Sept and 1, 2 Oct, 11am – 2pm daily

Free Public Event

Following its inaugural success last year, Project Five’s Kids’ Urban Art Workshops return to the Village Green over the September/October school holidays. The workshops cater to kids of all ages and will offer practical education in urban art disciplines including stenciling, wheat pastes and aerosol painting. Sydney artists Cam Wall, Houl and Chris Yee will guide the workshops, which are facilitated by aMBUSH Gallery.

CHARITYAUCTION

What

Art Auction for Charity

Where

Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre

Location

Darling Quarter

Dates

Wed 29 October, 6-9pm

RSVP Event

The works created during the three-day live painting event will be auctioned by Anne Phillips, Director of Art Market Works, at the Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre Foyer. All proceeds are dedicated to the support of Arts Ready, an educational organisation focused on preparing young people for careers in arts and culture. Arts Ready is a new partner of Project Five. 100% of the auction sales are donated to Arts Ready and all purchases are 100% tax deductible.

Art Auction For Charity

The Project Five Volume 6 Art Auction for Charity will be held at the Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre on Wednesday 29 October from 6-9pm.

The four artworks created by the Volume 6 artists at the Live Art Events will be auctioned to raise money for Project Five's new charity partner, ArtsReady.

More information and images of the artwork will be published on this website right after the Live Art Events on Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September.

The auction event is by invitation only. If you wish to attend please register your interest with:

Arts Ready

The ArtsReady program is designed as a partnership with young Australians and the arts and creative sector through an entry-level training and support model that combines practical experience at work with vocational education.

ArtsReady allows young trainees to get their foot in the door of a career in the arts and creative industries. ArtsReady is about more than just the education and employment experience. Importantly it also brings in the personal support young people need to get the best possible start in their career.

ArtsReady aims to support young Australians who are seeking a successful and rewarding career in the arts and creative sector. ArtsReady trainees will be given access to the experience and expertise within the business that they work for on a day-to-day basis, along with training from educators with industry experience and support from ArtsReady staff who understand young people and the experience of commencing a career.

23RD KEY

In double time

2400x1200mm stretched canvas, Acrylic on canvas.

Being a portrait of Australian rock legend, Chris Cheney of The Living End, my main aim was to try and capture the most honest representation of Chris as a man and as a performer. 'In double time' encapsulates how most people would probably see Chris; as a rock legend and one of Australia and the worlds, best guitarists. I tried to show as many sides of his personality as I could, not just 'the guy up on stage', because there's more to anyone than just what they do, it takes more work than that to tell who someone is in a single image. But as anyone who has ever seen the band on stage would know, it's a hard thing to capture, which is why I've approached this artwork in an unorthodox way for a stencil artist, because life isn't always a still life painting.

ALEX LEHOURS

God of Sea

2400x1200mm stretched canvas, Mixed media on canvas

This piece is an extension of my larger work “Beautiful Chaos” where I explore the harmony and balance created between two opposites, chaos and calm. God of Sea depicts Neptune, the name Romans gave to the ancient Greek god of the sea Poseidon, as the absolute epitome of chaos and calm and the positive balance between the two.

KYLE HUGHES-ODGERS

The Moon and the Sun

2400x1200mm stretched canvas, Mixed media on canvas

This painting is a landscape / cityscape focusing on ideas of life and growth and the continuous circle we experience.

ASKEW ONE

This painting was made in the manner I approach a lot of my street work, particularly my graffiti lettering. Started with a notion of a word I improvise with very heavy marks and strokes made with brushes, these marks channel the energy and movement of graffiti but also tend to look very organic, like a combination of vapour and melted flesh. A lot of subtle tonal range is created by working the paint while it's very wet. Afterwards I work over the top with spray paint, searching for form within the composition, finding a nice balance between sharply rendered elements and areas that look as if they've fallen out of focus. I often paint this way whilst working in a live setting because it is meditative and expressive. My figurative and pattern based works are very meticulous and not as fun for an audience to watch in process.

Project Five, an initiative of aMBUSH Gallery, is an award-winning public art initiative featuring a highly successful live art event, public art exhibition and art auction.

Each year since its inception in 2009, growing crowds of onlookers from all walks of life have gathered in Sydney’s public spaces to watch four cutting edge contemporary street artists transform blank canvases into masterpieces, right in front of their eyes.

To date, Project Five has activated three high-traffic Sydney locations – Cockle Bay Wharf, The Rocks and its current home in Darling Quarter, launched 5 Volumes, raised over $68,500 for charity and commissioned 24 Australian contemporary street artists.

In addition to engaging the interests of a broad range of people, Project Five has attracted national and metropolitan press and has been the focus of Channel 10 live broadcasts since 2011. In the same year, Project Five was also recognised with the Australia Council National Australian Business Arts Foundation Award in the category of Young and Emerging Artists.

Over the past five years, Project Five art auctions have attracted seasoned art collectors and entry level buyers alike, with proceeds benefiting Information and Cultural Exchange’s (ICE) digital arts program. From 2014, proceeds raised by Project Five will benefit ArtsReady, an organization committed to helping young trainees establish themselves in careers in the arts and creative industries.

In 2013, Project Five Volume 5 became associated with the City of Sydney’s annual art festival, Art & About Sydney, which amplified the audience reach and benefited the project events and the artists. In addition to being highlighted in the festival program for 2013, Project Five was voted by the public as one of the top 10 projects in the festival. Art & About Sydney 2014 (19 September to 19 October) will see this highly successful partnership with the City of Sydney continue.

With the arrival of Project Five Volume Six, located on the grounds of the Project’s new presenting partner and home Darling Quarter, comes the inspiring talents of four dynamic artists – Askew One, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Alex Lehours and 23rd Key – and the return of a creative initiative Sydney has come to love and look forward to.